Fanning Flames
by Snows Of Yester-Year
Summary: Seven oneshots for Zukaang week.
1. Motive

A/N: No, I didn't forget about Zukaang week until about one in the morning, why on earth would you think that?

...-cough-

Yeeaah you're gonna get like.. all of my oneshots, as pathetically short and awful as they are, sometime between now and about ten tonight. I currently have four finished and beta'd, and I'll probably finish the other three at work today and get them beta'd/uploaded tonight. ENJOY!

Thanks to Mistbender from Kataang Forever for betaing this for me.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

* * *

The second he heard that the Fire Lord had been seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, Aang was on a bison and in the air, desperate to get to his side. He didn't even pause to gather supplies. He didn't have time.

The flight to the Fire Nation royal palace took far too long; the towns, trees, and wide expanses of water passing by in a blur. He needed desperately to be there with Zuko, to see with his own eyes that he was alright, to help... Zuko had heard rumors of a possible assassination attempt, mentioning them in passing to Aang before they had to part ways again in peacekeeping missions, but he assured the young Avatar that it was nothing to worry about.

"I can handle myself," he insisted, his lips curled into a half-smile. "They're not going to take me out."

Aang clenched Appa's reins tighter, grinding his teeth as he glared in the direction of the Fire Nation. So much for handling himself. That was really stupid of Zuko, risking his life... what if he had died?

"Come on, Appa," Aang choked, snapping the reins, "go a bit faster."

When he finally reached the palace, he wasted no time in jumping off of Appa before the bison had fully landed and running into the building at full speed. He skidded through the hallways, trying to overcome his momentary disorientation enough to remember where Zuko's room was. When he found it, he was immensely relieved to see the young Fire Lord sitting on the bed, alive and well and looking profoundly irritated. Surprise flickered briefly across his face when he locked eyes with Aang before the younger boy launched himself across the room, latching on to the Fire Lord like he'd never let go.

"Knock it off," Zuko muttered, awkwardly lifting one arm to pat Aang on the back, "I'm fine. What did you come all the way here for, anyway?"

Aang leaned back, his eyes bright as he smiled shakily at Zuko. "You were hurt. And even if you'll never admit it, you needed me. What other motive could I possibly need?"


	2. Storms

A/N: I actually find it appalling how short this one is...sigh.

Thanks to Mistbender from Kataang Forever for betaing this.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

* * *

In his groggy, half-asleep state, Zuko was vaguely aware of three things; it was the middle of the damn night, it was thundering, and there was a shaking Airbender practically clinging to him for dear life.

"Aang," groaned the Fire Lord, "what on earth are you doing?"

"...Nothing."

He sighed, flipped over and pulled Aang close to him, scowling lightly. "You're ridiculous," he muttered, shutting his eyes against the lightning that flickered outside. "Why are you so scared of storms, anyhow?"

"I dunno," Aang murmured, tucking himself closer. "It's not really that I'm scared of them, I just...don't like them. See, I ran away from the Air Temple while it was storming, and then I was trapped in the iceberg because of a storm, and--"

"Alright, alright, I get it," he cut in, rolling his eyes briefly. He paused for a long moment before adding, "Although...given that, if I were you, I'd like storms."

The Avatar shot him a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Well, they're the reason you're here with me, aren't they?"

After that, it didn't take Aang long to calm down enough to sleep.


	3. Duty

Thanks to Mistbender from Kataang Forever for betaing this.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

* * *

In another world, they could be together.

If they were just two normal people, it wouldn't be much of a problem. Sure, they'd run into disapproving people and strange looks no matter what, but they could at least live out their days together in relative peace.

But that was not their destiny. Aang was the Avatar; he had to travel the world, building and keeping peace in the war-ravaged lands. More importantly, he was the last Airbender. If his race was to survive, he had to have children.

Zuko, likewise, was the Fire Lord. His position tied him to the Fire Nation, ensuring that his people were alright as he tried to rebuild his broken nation. And, like Aang, he had to produce an heir.

They wanted to be together. One night, while they were both too inebriated to walk straight, they addressed the issue. They even acted briefly on their feelings, their lips meeting in clumsy, shy kisses as they gave in to their hearts for a few minutes. Even as they did this, though, they knew deep down that they couldn't be together. Duty stood firmly in the way of that path.

It was the five year anniversary of the war's conclusion. Dignitaries from all over the world gathered in Ba Sing Se for the festivities, including the Avatar and his friends. It was in the middle of these vibrant festivities, lost in the maze-like gardens of the upper ring, that Aang confronted Zuko.

"I know we talked about this before, but I wanted to talk about it again," he started in a rush as he cornered the Fire Lord. His gray eyes were wide and sincere, and Zuko found that he couldn't turn away or tell him to shut the hell up - not when he was looking at him like that.

"What's there to talk about?" he asked, turning away from the younger Airbender. "We agreed, we can't...there's too much in the way, Aang. We have duties to take care of; duties to our nation, to the world--"

"What about to our hearts?" Aang choked out, his voice barely a whisper. "Don't we have any duty to them?"

Zuko glanced away from him now, the expression on his best friend's face tearing a hole in his heart. "I'm sorry..."

He was vaguely aware of light footsteps approaching him across the grass. He felt, as if in a dream, Aang touch his face lightly, lifting it up so that he could lock eyes with him. He felt the younger man's lips brush lightly against his own, leaving the smallest taste of his skin there...

Slowly, deliberately, he reached up and forcefully pushed Aang away, staring at the ground in wordless determination as he tried to regain his composure.

"What we feel doesn't matter," he whispered, unable to see what he was sure was a heartbroken expression on his friend's face. "We need to do what's best for the world now, Aang."

He released his friends shoulders, still refusing to look him in the eye as he turned around and made his way out of the garden.


	4. Secret Admirer

A/N: This is even shorter than Storms. LOLFAIL

Thanks to Mistbender from Kataang Forever for betaing this

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

* * *

It was juvenile, silly, embarrassing, and downright stupid, but Aang couldn't help himself. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching, he slipped into Zuko's unoccupied chamber, glancing around the room. He always really liked the way the Western Air Temple was designed; it was like they made it specifically so that the maximum amount of light could enter. He slid over to Zuko's bed, situated squarely in a shaft of golden light, and carefully placed the flowers on his pillow before scampering out of the room as fast as he could.

That small, insignificant act had taken more courage than Aang could have ever guessed. He thought that his heart was going to just jump right out of his chest. His nerves were on edge, his breathing ragged, but it was definitely worth it.

It wasn't until later that night that the act was even addressed. Zuko showed up to dinner with a perplexed look on his face, the small blue flowers clutched carefully in his hand as he sat down and asked, "Does anyone know how these wound up in my room?"

He was met with a resounding chorus of blank looks. He sighed, setting them down next to him and propping his head in his right hand. "It doesn't matter to me, really. I was just curious."

"Looks like Zuko's got a secret admirer," Sokka declared in a mocking voice, which immediately prompted a round of playful banter and vehement denials.

Aang, of course, didn't say anything. He just feigned fascination with his rice and smiled quietly to himself.


	5. Warmth

Thanks to Crystle from Kataang Forever for betaing.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

* * *

Whoever invented winter sucked.

Zuko didn't think he'd ever get used to this whole snow and ice nonsense. Fortunately, most of his time was spent in the Fire Nation, but that didn't make his occasional trips to colder regions any less hellish. On this occasion, he was in the northern Earth Kingdom, giving Aang a hand with some stupid rebels who didn't seem to get that the Avatar was actually on their side. Every time it seemed like they were making headway, another fanatical group of nut-jobs popped out of the ground to raise hell and cause trouble.

Dealing with these imbeciles was bad enough, but the fact that there was snow on the ground made it downright unbearable. Zuko could do nothing at the moment but curl up in his tent, glaring furiously at the opposite wall as he hugged the blanket around him tighter in a futile attempt to keep warm. He occasionally performed the breath of fire to ease the biting cold, but keeping that up constantly was both tiring and not a good idea while inside a cloth tent.

The tent flap opened to reveal the young Avatar, a smile on his face despite his obvious exhaustion. "How're you doing in here?" he asked, sitting down next to his friend.

"Awful," he grumbled, trying and failing to suppress his shivering. "I hate the cold. How do you put up with this?"

"Oh, come on," Aang scoffed, "it isn't that bad."

"Shut up," Zuko grumbled, hugging the blanket closer.

Aang's grin faltered as he sat down next to his friend, studying him with his warm gray eyes. "You're seriously cold, aren't you?"

"What was your first hint?"

Aang laughed, startling Zuko. "You're so melodramatic," commented the Avatar in an amused voice. He reached out his tattooed hands to gently pry Zuko's arms open and, before the Fire Lord could react, slipped in the small space the blanket created. He then proceeded to wrap his strong arms firmly around his older friend's torso, shutting Zuko up for a good two minutes before he recovered from his shock enough to speak.

"What...the..._hell_...are you doing?"

"You were cold," Aang stated simply. "I'm trying to get you warm again, and sharing body heat is the fastest way to generate warmth."

If the blush on his cheeks was any indication, Zuko thought scornfully, generating warmth was going to be absolutely no problem tonight.


	6. Scars

A/N: This one is definitely my favorite.

Thanks to Chaka and Crystle from Kataang Forever for betaing.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

* * *

Scars didn't really bother Zuko anymore. After three years of waking up in the morning and seeing half of his own face marred beyond recognition, certain things lose their shock value. But for some reason, the first time he saw the scar on Aang's back, he couldn't stop himself from flinching.

It had been during a Firebending session at the Western Air Temple. Aang had removed his wrap in an attempt to make the Firebending forms come easier, and, in doing so, he revealed his back to Zuko. The exiled prince had known that Azula's lightning would leave a mark, but he hadn't really thought about it until he saw the evidence right in front of him.

Somehow, the presence of the scar seemed fundamentally wrong. It was a terrible shock of violence that marred a boy that seemed to embody peace, an unexpected interjection from a life he didn't ask for that would stay with him for the rest of his life. It just felt strange to see on Aang what Zuko saw on himself every day; a horrible, ugly, disfiguring patch of skin that told the world a story whether he wanted it to or not.

Aang turned around to find Zuko staring at him. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Your scar," the prince responded dumbly.

"...Oh." He shuffled uncomfortably and scratched nervously at the arrow that arched across his right arm with his left hand. "You, um...you haven't seen it before?"

"No," Zuko admitted. "I mean, well, I figured that you would've had to have one there, but I guess I just wasn't...expecting it to be that..."

Aang gave him a puzzled look. Zuko heaved a sigh, raking his fingers through his unruly black hair in frustration. "Let's just work on the next se--"

"Wait," Aang interrupted, "I still don't get it. Why did the scar surprise you so much?"

"I dunno," he muttered. "You're just...not the kind of person I'd expect to have a scar, I guess. That's all. Now--"

"What do you mean?"

Zuko let out a frustrated groan. "Do you want to learn Firebending or not?!"

"In a minute," Aang said. He dropped down to the ground, sitting cross-legged and indicating that the older boy should do the same. There was a long, tense moment of silent resistance before Zuko begrudgingly obliged, settling uncertainly across from Aang.

"So why were you surprised?" Aang pressed.

Zuko sighed, propping his head in his right hand while the other one toyed with a loose thread from his pants. "I'm just used to my own scar, I guess. It's just such an awful, painful, shameful thing, and...I don't know. That's not really how I see you, so I guess that's not really what I was expecting."

Aang thought in silence for a moment before he spoke. "But scars are more than that," he insisted slowly. "They stand for something."

"What?" Zuko deadpanned. "Your shame? Your weakness?"

"No," the Avatar said, "your strength."

When he got no response, the younger boy continued.

"The monks explained it like this. Scars mean that you went through something awful, something bad enough to leave a permanent mark on your skin. More importantly, though, they mean that you survived."

He stared shamelessly at the scar on Zuko's face. "How did you get that, anyway?"

His bluntness stunned the older boy. He glanced down at the stones, taking a long pause before he answered.

"I got in a fight with my father. I spoke up against a battle plan one of his generals proposed, and the Fire Lord challenged me to an Agni Kai..."

Aang's expression softened. "Why are you ashamed of it?" he asked quietly.

Zuko snorted. "What a stupid question. It's because of this scar that I was banished."

"But didn't that turn out to be a good thing?" Aang asked with a grin. "I mean...you're here with us now. And...okay, so you were banished, but you survived, didn't you?" He Airbended himself to his feet, brushing off his pants as he said, "I wouldn't be ashamed of that scar if I were you. I think it means that you're strong."

Zuko didn't respond. He pushed himself to his feet and started the lesson, his mind turning over what Aang had said, and the next time he saw his reflection, he smiled at it for the first time in three years.


	7. Liquor

Thanks to Crystle and Chaka from Kataang Forever for betaing.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

* * *

Getting Aang wasted had either been a brilliant move or the worst idea ever. Unfortunately for Zuko, he didn't know what was causing that glint in his best friend's eye, so he didn't know which it was yet.

"I think you've had enough liquor," he muttered, reaching over and carefully prying the cup from Aang's hand.

"Oh, I'm fine," Aang slurred slowly. He crossed his arms on the table and dropped his head down on them, surveying Zuko out of half-lidded eyes. "Mm...you should..."

"Should what?" Zuko asked apprehensively.

The Airbender half-sighed and half-laughed, pushing himself clumsily to his feet before stumbling around the small table to stand next to the Fire Lord. "Just...lemme take care of it," he grinned, reaching out to pull Zuko's shirt off.

The startled Firebender grabbed the younger boy's wrists as a reflex, his eyes wide with shock. "Uhh...Aang? What are you--"

"Shh," Aang whispered with a giggle, pressing two fingers against Zuko's lips. He then became enthralled with said lips, curiously pressing his fingers harder against them before feathering them across Zuko's lower lip. His gray eyes drifted part-way shut as he studied the flesh he was exploring with rapt fascination, utterly oblivious to Zuko's obvious and growing discomfort.

"Your mouth is..." he trailed off uselessly as he shifted closer, his head cocked to the side. After another moment of contemplation, he glanced up at Zuko, grinned, shrugged, and shut the distance between them.

The kiss stunned the young Fire Lord. His golden eyes remained wide open as the younger Airbender drunkenly groped for Zuko's hair, finally grasping to use as leverage. Somehow, that touch broke the spell of shock that had settled over the older boy, and he finally returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around Aang and holding him as close as possible.

"Alright," Zuko smirked when they finally broke apart, "it's official. We're getting drunk more often."


End file.
